The Official Criterion Deals and Discussion Thread

It was about 19 times (remember I made multiple trips around town lol) but I had no idea the stores were compensated for web store coupons. The few times I ran the front lanes at Target when I would close the registers, I was only told to take the manufacturer's coupons out. I have no idea what happened to the store coupons, maybe they got collected once a month and sent out, I'm not sure. So this is very interesting information to me.

Also, it's okay if the internet views me as an asshole. I know better.

Can we go back to being friends, Arcane? Come on, guy. I see your posts, and I know you've seen mine before, and damn it we should be friends. :whistle2:k
 
PSA for those looking for Modern Times BD tomorrow. 1 of my stores is only getting 1 copy and was already on hold and the other was only getting 2 w/ 1 of them on reserve. I would recommend calling tonight to put a copy on hold.
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']It was about 19 times (remember I made multiple trips around town lol) but I had no idea the stores were compensated for web store coupons.[/QUOTE]

No, that was my point, stores aren't compensated for store coupons. A store coupon is essentially a loss to them, money that they didn't make off of that sale. The product still costs them the same price either way, so if the coupon makes the amount that you pay for the item less than they paid for it, they take an actual loss on the sale. Since Barnes and Noble is a big corporate entity rather than an individual store, store coupons do get recorded in the register transactions and sent to corporate to be worked into all kinds of corporate data, profit modeling, and such. But yeah, since it's just internal company data that the registers are collecting anyway, not something they need to send in to some third party, it's all done through data collection and the actual printed store coupons are just thrown out. Hell, they don't even really need to collect them -- I regularly show them the coupons on my phone and they get the code off of that. Doesn't mean that they're "meaningless" though.

[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Also, it's okay if the internet views me as an asshole. I know better. [/QUOTE]

Yeah, just don't be surprised when the internet takes you the wrong way. Keep in mind that we don't really know you, and don't know whether you'd use a term like "stingy ass bitches" seriously or not (hint: there are plenty of people on this site who would, though most of them wouldn't actually be able to spell it).

[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Can we go back to being friends, Arcane? Come on, guy. I see your posts, and I know you've seen mine before, and damn it we should be friends. :whistle2:k[/QUOTE]

Haha, don't take me too seriously either. I do think that it wasn't well thought through, and that you probably should have just left well enough alone and not even attempted to get an extra discount given all of the potential negative consequences, but I'm mostly just giving you a hard time. ;)
 
[quote name='movie2cats']PSA for those looking for Modern Times BD tomorrow. 1 of my stores is only getting 1 copy and was already on hold and the other was only getting 2 w/ 1 of them on reserve. I would recommend calling tonight to put a copy on hold.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I had pre-reserved Antichrist, so I was able to get it in the store, but I haven't actually seen a copy just on the shelf since it came out. I haven't bothered with reserving Modern Times or Night of the Hunter yet, but I figure that worst case scenario, if I can't get them at the store I'll just order them online.

[quote name='ssjmichael']Any new 25% off coupon for non-members?[/QUOTE]

Probably not. B&N isn't regular with their coupons, they tend to put them out once every few weeks at most. Even the member coupons don't happen all the time. I'll be kind of surprised if we see another before this sale is over.
 
Might use the Library link to order Modern Love for 10% off. With the risk of sounding callous, a first glance at Modern Life makes this seem like just another screwball comedy from the silent era. Is this true? Or is it just done really well or is there more to it?
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Might use the Library link to order Modern Love for 10% off. With the risk of sounding callous, a first glance at Modern Life makes this seem like just another screwball comedy from the silent era. Is this true? Or is it just done really well or is there more to it?[/QUOTE]

Are you talking about Modern Times? It's not exactly a screwball comedy, and in fact, the screwball subgenre didn't really start until after the silent era. Chaplin's more of a slapstick guy. This movie definitely has a palpable theme of modernization which encompasses industrialization, automation, consumerism, and all sorts of other -tions and -isms. :)
 
D'oh, sorry I was thinking about one of my favorite Bowie songs.
And orly? Something I was ignorant about, thought screwball started in the silent film era. Oops. Though screwball, now that you mention it, most certainly sounds like the accurate term to be using.
 
The popular opinion is that screwball comedies started around 1934 with It Happened One Night being the stand-out.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Keep in mind that we don't really know you, and don't know whether you'd use a term like "stingy ass bitches" seriously or not (hint: there are plenty of people on this site who would, though most of them wouldn't actually be able to spell it).[/QUOTE]


I'd like to nominate this for "Best Self-Inflicted CAG Burn of the Year." Very well done, Arcane.

:applause:
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Hmmm, I had no idea. I got some release from Big Lots that seemed official enough too. Not a bad transfer but I'd love to see it on Blu.[/QUOTE]

It's actually old enough to be in the public domain (you can even download it from archive.org), so it's not surprising that there are multiple releases out there. Criterion's version is almost certain to be the definitive one, though.

Though actually it's not at all unheard of for there to be both Criterion and non-Criterion releases of some relatively bigger movies in print at the same time. The Criterion editions of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Time Bandits are all still in print, even though there are also regular studio DVD releases in print as well. It's sort of weird that the Criterion version of Time Bandits is still available, since it wasn't even anamorphic.
 
Oh man, I'd kill for a Blu-ray of My Man Godfrey--it's one of my favorite films. The Criterion DVD is indeed the best release that I've seen (though that pretty much goes without saying).

Speaking of public domain films, I wish Criterion would do a release of the the 1937 version of A Star Is Born. It's a true classic that's been astonishingly relegated to shoddy budget releases and is badly in need of a proper restoration.
 
[quote name='arcane93']

To be fair, the Studio Canal blu-ray of Ran isn't that bad. A lot of people, including the reviewers, have gone a bit overboard in their criticism of it because they're disappointed that Criterion didn't do it. Studio Canal did go a little heavy on the edge enhancement, but other than that, the colors are bright, the contrast is good, and the film grain is visible (so they didn't use too much smoothing). Despite its problems, it looks better than all previous versions, including the Criterion DVD. Would Criterion have done a better job with it? Most certainly. But that doesn't mean that it's bad. If you want it, you should buy it.

[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the information on RAN blu ray, I usually don't go by what others say, but I'll reconsider purchasing if I have to have it.
 
[quote name='NegativeZero']Thank you for the information on RAN blu ray, I usually don't go by what others say, but I'll reconsider purchasing if I have to have it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to lie -- it's not perfect. But, as the only high-def release of the film out there, it is still the best home video version of it that has been released up to this point. I've seen lots of people say that they're going to hold out for some future better release that may or may not ever exist, holding onto what seems to me to be the fairly unlikely dream that somehow Criterion is going to magically get the rights back someday. I don't think that's going to happen, but if it does, eh, I've done worse double-dips. In the meantime, I've got a pretty decent quality copy of the movie.

Also worth noting is that the Studio Canal blu-ray includes most (though not quite all) of the special features from the Criterion DVD. So you're not losing out too badly there either.

I'd say hold out for a good deal (I got it when B&N had it on sale for 50% off, plus membership and a coupon on top of that, so in the end I paid about $14 for it) and grab it when one comes up.
 
Did anyone pick up their copies of Modern Times?

EDIT: Thank you for the update Curiousgeorge, sounds like I'll need to have my family create CAG accounts to even the tide or something.
 
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Sup CAG, interesting posts between Friend of Sonic and arcane93. Personally I side with Team arcane93.
I ordered Seven Samurai and The Night of the Hunter online on 11/5/10. It received a message from Barnes and Noble the very same day saying the estimated shipping date is 11/16/10 which makes since because I bundled the two movies together. Today is obviously 11/16/10, so did anyone who purchased The Night of the Hunter online has the movie shipped for you? I think the question I should be asking is the estimated shipping date just that the estimated shipping date, or is it the date that it will be shipped? This is my first time ordering online at Barnes and Noble so any help would be grateful.
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Did anyone pick up their copies of Modern Times?[/QUOTE]

I got a notification that mine is being held for me. I probably won't actually make it to pick it up until tomorrow, though, as I'm going to see Grinderman play tonight and I'm sure the store will be closed by the time that's over.

[quote name='Curiousgeorge']Sup CAG, interesting posts between Friend of Sonic and arcane93. Personally I side with Team arcane93.[/QUOTE]

Haha, I didn't know it was a battle . . .

[quote name='Curiousgeorge']is the estimated shipping date just that the estimated shipping date, or is it the date that it will be shipped?[/QUOTE]

Generally they'll ship by the date that they say they're going to ship. Of course, any shipping date given is an "estimated" shipping date until the order is actually shipped. Any number of things can change it, especially with a pre-order -- if their stock doesn't come in time, or they don't get enough right away to meet all of the pre-order demand, or whatever, it's obviously going to potentially cause delays. That being said, I've found that I frequently don't get shipping notifications from them until late in the day. I'd wait until later in the evening before I worried about it.

My copy of The Thin Red Line showed up today. I was pretty happy to see that, given that when I ordered it, they told me that it wouldn't ship until the 23rd.
 
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I just snagged Night of the Hunter! They had one left and no Modern Times remaining! Tomorrow I'll head back for The Leopard if the one copy I saw is still there.
 
Is it possible to make a trial membership in the store? Looks like the 25% off coupon expired so I may as well make use of the membership trial and use the $5 coupon to place a special order on Seven Samurai at the store.
 
[quote name='CloakBass']Is it possible to make a trial membership in the store? Looks like the 25% off coupon expired so I may as well make use of the membership trial and use the $5 coupon to place a special order on Seven Samurai at the store.[/QUOTE]

they started doing them for one-month trials in store at the one around my neck of the woods - judging from the sign, it looks like a franchise-wide thing

hope that helps
 
[quote name='CloakBass']Is it possible to make a trial membership in the store? Looks like the 25% off coupon expired so I may as well make use of the membership trial and use the $5 coupon to place a special order on Seven Samurai at the store.[/QUOTE]


You can still use the $5 off coupon.


M
 
I picked 6 bluray movies today

Price after $5 off coupon & 10% off discount $14.07 Each
House
Crumb
Paths of Glory
Modern Times
Bottle Rocket with New Case (Not Paper case)
The Night of the Hunter $18.XX

May come back for Vivre SaVie or Red Desert but not sure it worth $15 or not?
 
Got my Modern Times copy today. Called and had it put on hold last night. Came in this evening and at first was worried because they closed down the whole media section because Trick Daddy was doing a book signing or something? Luckily the manager let me get my copy and pay at the front. Bookseller took his time in reading the entire fine print of the coupon out loud, then asked his coworker about it since it was on sale for $18 after all discounts. As unjerkish as I could be I assured him that I've used them in the past and if he would pass it through he would have no problems. Got it for a little under $14. Very happy, gonna watch it tonight with my grandparents.
 
Got what is likely my last haul tonight.

Antichrist
Black Orpheus
Close Up
Last Year at Marienbad
Night of the Hunter

All in Blu. Cost about $95, which brings my total for the sale to around $415. Yeesh.
 
Went to pick up my reserved copies of Night of the Hunter and Modern Times tonight . . . And they couldn't find either of them. I'd gotten an email telling me they were on hold, they even had them listed in their system as being behind the desk -- and nothing. Apparently another person had a copy of Modern Times on hold too, and that was missing as well. WTF?

Of course they had plenty of copies of the DVDs of both movies in stock, but no blu-rays. :bomb:

They ordered them for me and are having them shipped directly to me, and they gave me my member and coupon discounts, so I guess it's all good. It's not like I don't have enough new Criterion movies to watch between now and when they arrive anyway. :lol:
 
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Arcane, that sucks. I probably would have came up with some justification on why the movies should have been comped with a free 200 dollar gift card or something.

Oh, wait, almost forgot.


;)
 
Night of the Hunter was scheduled to ship to me yesterday - or at least, it was supposed to. Tracking number has yet to update. Same thing happened with a book I ordered from them a week or two back - got the express member shipping, but it still took a week.

Oh well. Shipping with B&N sucks apparently, but at least it's free for members. I just wish they wouldn't say it's 2-day shipping when it is consistently triple that.
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']Arcane, that sucks. I probably would have came up with some justification on why the movies should have been comped with a free 200 dollar gift card or something.[/QUOTE]

Heh, I considered trying to negotiate some kind of deal out of them (after all, this was totally and completely their fault), but it was late and my girlfriend was tired and just wanted to go home. So in the interest of just getting out of there, I settled for them just giving me the price I'd get in-store, rather than having to order from the website and not getting the member discount or the coupon.

[quote name='supershammy']Night of the Hunter was scheduled to ship to me yesterday - or at least, it was supposed to.[/QUOTE]

I got my "order confirmation" email from my in-store order, and it says that Night of the Hunter won't ship until December 10th. This after the store told me that the site had it in stock and I'd have it by the beginning of next week. I dunno, we'll see -- I got The Thin Red Line about two weeks before the estimated shipping date they gave me, so it may well come sooner. If not, I guess I can wait. I'm just a little irritated that I had to pre-pay for the order in the store if it's going to take that long.

[quote name='supershammy']Shipping with B&N sucks apparently, but at least it's free for members. I just wish they wouldn't say it's 2-day shipping when it is consistently triple that.[/QUOTE]

Really? Actually, it says three-day shipping, and I think I've always gotten my order within three (business) days after it was shipped, sometimes even faster. It's always just UPS ground shipping, though (despite their claims of "expedited" shipping service), so I suppose it may depend on where you live.
 
If anyone is planning to purchase the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, please note that it comes in the standard Blu Ray case and not the special CC casing.
Just a heads up.

I wonder why they did that, I know its a newer film from a major studio but ehhh...
 
My haul:

-Hausu (house)
-The Darjeeling Limited
-Bottle Rocket
-Chungking Express
-The Thin Red Line
-Revanche
-Paris, Texas
 
[quote name='AceBB6']If anyone is planning to purchase the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, please note that it comes in the standard Blu Ray case and not the special CC casing.
Just a heads up.

I wonder why they did that, I know its a newer film from a major studio but ehhh...[/QUOTE]

If memory serves correct, it's because it was actually released by the studio, and Criterion basically just has their numbering on it. It was essentially a studio special edition with Criterion's endorsement. Criterion really had very little to do with the packaging and making of the disc.
 
I picked up:

Darjeeling Limited
Crumb
Antichrist

I already had:
Chungking Express
Bottle Rocket

I'm getting to have a nice blu-ray Criterion collection.

Thanks to the OP and the link for 10% off, they came to $17.99 each.

If I became a member, would I have received an additional 10% off?
 
[quote name='chimpster1313']If memory serves correct, it's because it was actually released by the studio, and Criterion basically just has their numbering on it. It was essentially a studio special edition with Criterion's endorsement. Criterion really had very little to do with the packaging and making of the disc.[/QUOTE]That's correct. I emailed the Criterion Store email, asking about replacement cases and they said that Benjamin Button was put out by Paramount, so they have no control over replacement cases for that title. I forgot it came in a standard BR case when asking them about it.
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']I picked up:

Darjeeling Limited
Crumb
Antichrist

I already had:
Chungking Express
Bottle Rocket

I'm getting to have a nice blu-ray Criterion collection.

Thanks to the OP and the link for 10% off, they came to $17.99 each.

If I became a member, would I have received an additional 10% off?[/QUOTE]


No.


M
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']If I became a member, would I have received an additional 10% off?[/QUOTE]

If you ordered them online, then no, Barnes and Noble doesn't give an additional discount for members online anymore. The member "discount" is the free express shipping.

If you bought them in store, then yes, you would have gotten an additional 10% off.

Normally, the website is so much cheaper than the store that it doesn't matter, you still come out ahead on the website (often even if the item is on additional sale in the store). However, with this particular sale, since the base price is 50% off list in both places, it actually makes it cheaper to buy from the store if you're a member (coupons, etc. notwithstanding).
 
I picked up a few more today.
Stagecoach
Charade
Modern Times
Was able to use the $5 coupon on these, and with my membership it came out to $13 each. I was pretty happy to find Modern Times as the website said every store in the area was sold out.
 
Picked up
Seven Samurai 25.XX Online
Yojimbo/Sanjuro 28.XX tax included w/25% off Coupon that expired 11/14/10
The Night of the Hunter 25.XX Online
 
Given the collectible nature of Criterion movies, I'm sad that my copy of The Night of the Hunter was relatively crushed when it arrived in the mail today. I'm pretty worried about the Lost & Found: BBS set I ordered now, since I can just walk in and exchange this movie, but no store will actually carry Lost & Found because of its value ($100+).
 
Haha, House was definitely not something I'd need to own. I did manage to eventually track down a copy of Modern Times after visiting a couple different stores, so hopefully I'll like that one better.

Thanks again for the coupons and all your opinions and/or advice everyone
 
[quote name='supershammy']Given the collectible nature of Criterion movies, I'm sad that my copy of The Night of the Hunter was relatively crushed when it arrived in the mail today. I'm pretty worried about the Lost & Found: BBS set I ordered now, since I can just walk in and exchange this movie, but no store will actually carry Lost & Found because of its value ($100+).[/QUOTE]

You might be surprised, especially when it's new. Usually they keep the box sets behind the counter rather than out on the shelves, so you might have to look for it and/or ask about it.

I never did get brave enough to ask about ordering titles that aren't out before the sale's over, but then I also spent way, way too much on this sale (final count: 23 blu-rays) and don't really need to add any more at this point. I'll get it next time.

[quote name='lolwut?']Haha, House was definitely not something I'd need to own.[/QUOTE]

Haha, I finally got around to watching House last night . . . It was awesome, but in a different (wow, I can't believe this is so bad) kind of way. But then I have a thing for really cheesy, bad movies (chalk it up to watching way too much MST3K back in the day); someone who's not into that probably wouldn't like it so much. I'm not at all unhappy that I bought it, but how exactly it got chosen for the Criterion Collection, I'll probably never figure out.

I expect to have the same reaction to Robinson Crusoe on Mars next time around. Seriously, watch the trailer for it -- it's awesome. ("This film is scientifically authentic. It is only one step ahead of present reality!" "Tomorrow come to life... Today!"):

http://www.criterion.com/films/821-robinson-crusoe-on-mars
 
I think Hausu definitely belongs on Criterion, although very bizarre, I view it as an incredibly creative cinematic achievement that's very much a work of it's own. There's really almost nothing like it. I think that says a lot. I enjoyed it a lot more than In The Realm of the Senses, that's probably in my collection, my least favorite Criterion blu-ray so far.
 
Yeah, House def. belongs on Criterion, I mean just look at films like the Evil Dead and you'll see where it got it's influence from.
 
I think at least the blu-ray of Chungking Express is out of print now--it isn't listed as such on Criterion's website (you can still order it from them, even), but I ordered one during the B&N sale, and their website said it would be in stock in 1-2 weeks. Yesterday I got an email from them after all this time saying that they won't be able to get it at all, and that they're cancelling my order. I looked into it when I got that email and they do seem to have dried up--you can't order it new from Amazon or anything now, too, and most other websites I checked have it listed as unavailable or on backorder at best.

The copy I ordered was for a friend--I've had mine since the day it came out. There are still a few copies at local stores, so there's still time to grab one, but I thought I'd point out that it is likely out of print for anyone who might be interested.
 
[quote name='sirhansirhan']I think at least the blu-ray of Chungking Express is out of print now[/QUOTE]

Oh no, I hope not. I already have Chungking Express, but I've been really hoping for a Criterion blu-ray of In the Mood For Love (and hopefully some other Wong Kar-Wai as well, but that's the other title that Criterion already had). If they've lost the rights for one, that probably doesn't bode well for the other. :cry:
 
[quote name='sirhansirhan']I think at least the blu-ray of Chungking Express is out of print now--it isn't listed as such on Criterion's website (you can still order it from them, even), but I ordered one during the B&N sale, and their website said it would be in stock in 1-2 weeks. Yesterday I got an email from them after all this time saying that they won't be able to get it at all, and that they're cancelling my order. I looked into it when I got that email and they do seem to have dried up--you can't order it new from Amazon or anything now, too, and most other websites I checked have it listed as unavailable or on backorder at best.

The copy I ordered was for a friend--I've had mine since the day it came out. There are still a few copies at local stores, so there's still time to grab one, but I thought I'd point out that it is likely out of print for anyone who might be interested.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads-up - guess Amazon being OOS for the longest time should've been the sign a paid attention to.
 
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